year.

And the value of goods sold for the first three months of this year has dropped by two percent to $91 million.

Gloom over overseas buying sprees by Bermudians has also deepened with March figures.

Residents returning to the Island declared goods worth $1.41 million -- a 20.5 percent increase year-over-year.

It is the biggest leap this year, with percentage rises of 17.8 and 7.6 for February and January respectively.

Government has constantly urged people against forking out abroad, and putting local merchants under pressure.

But the plea appears to have gone unheeded, according to Government statistics out yesterday.

It's not all bad news, however.

The total value of March's retail sales locally edged up by 0.5 percent -- despite the 2.1 percent decline in volume.

And bar the motor vehicle and service station sector, gross revenue flows for "broad groupings'' of retailers were above levels reached in March last year.

Government's report states: "Both petrol and vehicle sales fell below the previous year's levels, with the stronger decline experienced by the service stations.'' It adds: "In the general retail sector, gross revenue flows for the broad mix of retail stores increased a modest 1.5 percent year-over-year.''